


take me anywhere with you

by demonglass



Category: Stray Kids (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Fluff, Lee Felix is Whipped, M/M, aka how my life should be going rn but tragically isn't, but it's summer and they already graduated, felix is just the cutest idk what to tell you, felix is the Only boy that matters, hyunjin is a lil dumb but it's ok he's trying his best, i wrote this instead of doing homework, it's kinda angsty but not really, literally just so much fluff, n e way they're both just incredibly lovable and that's how i got here, oh it's pov hyunjin for pt1 and pov felix for pt2 if that means anything to u, really it's just soft and gay and that's kinda it, seungbin if ur third eye is open, smoochin
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-29
Updated: 2019-02-03
Packaged: 2019-09-02 01:37:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,127
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16777036
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/demonglass/pseuds/demonglass
Summary: “Hyunjin!” Felix says excitedly, grinning from ear to ear. “I have Day6 tickets! They're performing in the city in two weeks, do you want to come with me?”“You want me? Not Seungmin?” Hyunjin blurts without thinking.Felix’s lips soften into a gentle smile and he nods, looking up at him with wide, earnest eyes. “There’s no one I’d rather go with.”alt; Felix and Hyunjin go to a concert in the city. Hyunjin has a Realization.





	1. part one ~ bloom

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this was born from me absolutely loving summer and cities and day6 and actually feeling like you're alive and living life and ofc two of my favorite boys so i hope you feel the love too! enjoy!

There’s a mirror at the end of the hotel hallway, and Hyunjin angles his head towards the red stripes on the carpet when it nears so he doesn’t have to see his reflection again: messy hair slipping out from under his hood, face pulled down by exhaustion, brows furrowed in contemplation, bottom lip between his teeth. It’s three o’clock in the morning and he's sleepless, pacing. The room number passes by his left cheek, his right cheek, burning into him over and over again: 271. There are others too, stamped on rooms that could be hollow and empty, or filled to bursting with people from anywhere, but they’re nothing but blurs to him. The numbers run together, bleeding into each other like watercolors in the rain, until he gets back to 271. The dull brass gleams in the low light, catching his eye as he steps toward it, glinting in the back of his mind every time he steps away from it. It pulls him in so intensely it takes all of his strength to drag himself away again and again. He can’t go back in yet, not while Felix is still sleeping soundly and Hyunjin’s inability to sleep through the buzzing voices in his head would only disturb him. So their room disappears behind him once more and his pacing continues.

He’s sluggish now that the late night is fading into early morning, and inside of his head everything is thick and syrupy; pulling thoughts from his brain feels like tugging small candies free from molasses. Each question catches, stretches, gets stuck, and he has more now than he had when he first crawled out of bed and snuck into the hallway. He wants nothing more than to open the door again and ask Felix for help figuring things out because even when he doesn’t mean to, Hyunjin always goes to Felix first when he needs to talk through his feelings. But this time he can’t turn to Felix to sit beside him and hold him while his heart surges up from his chest and pours out of his lips, because this isn’t something he can ask Felix to try and understand when he barely understands it himself.

He’s not entirely sure when it started, honestly, but he started noticing, he thinks, in little moments, scattered through the last few months of their senior year; in moments that swept over him slowly, gently, like a hesitant spring breeze, warm after winter: a quiet lunch period spent sharing food and filling notebook pages with two different colored doodles, a cold walk home after school spent huddling close for warmth, a lonely day when everything in the world seemed to make him think of the boy who wasn’t there, a late night in a half-empty movie theater trying to make one tub of popcorn last past the first forty minutes, a warm, sunny morning spent doubled over laughing on the couch, a quiet afternoon of homework side-by-side. Hyunjin’s soft footsteps stutter against the carpet and he sighs. Even then, he hadn’t really known. Even then, it had been little more than an inkling, an ambiguous feeling resting quietly, patiently at the base of his heart. When he tries to pin down the moment that feeling had begun, finally, to grow and become louder, restless, he finds himself suddenly two weeks in the past, on the hot summer day after they’d graduated when Felix had shown up at his door without warning.

_“Hyunjin!” Felix says, eyes bright, grinning from ear to ear._

_“What?” Hyunjin asks, swinging the door open wide to let Felix in and fighting a smile even though he hasn't gotten the good news yet._

_“I have Day6 tickets! They’re performing in the city in two weeks and I got tickets! I know it’s not GOT7, but do you want to come with me?”_

_“You want me to go with you? Not Seungmin?” Hyunjin blurts without thinking._

_Felix looks guilty for a second, and Hyunjin regrets opening his mouth until Felix’s lips soften into a gentle smile and he nods, looking up at him with wide, earnest eyes. “There’s no one I’d rather go with.”_

_Hyunjin says yes in a heartbeat. Of course he says yes. They rush, giddy, to Hyunjin’s room to plan. Soon decide they’ll take the train there, stay the night somewhere after the concert, and explore the city the next day before coming home. It’s exhilarating, so the race of his heart makes sense, and he writes it off, but can’t deny that it’s there._

_They pick up extra shifts in the coming weeks to make up for the train, the hotel, and anything else they’ll find to spend money on in the city, and even though Hyunjin sees Felix less in those two weeks than he almost ever does, he never stops thinking about him._

_It’s the day before they’ll leave for the train station, and Felix is facetiming him while he packs because he’s not entirely sure why he needs to pack in the first place. “It’s just one day, right?”_

_“Felix, it’s two days plus concert clothes too. You need to pack.”_

_Felix shrugs. “Can’t I just wear my concert clothes for the first day and then . . . I’d still have to pack the next day of clothes, wouldn’t I?”_

_“Just like I told you.” Hyunjin nods sagely._

_Felix makes a face. “I guess you may have had a point.”_

_Hyunjin grins. “Don’t I always?”_

_Felix makes another face, but it’s softer than before. “Whatever,” he says, fighting a smile. “If I have to pack anyway then I’m gonna wear comfy clothes for the bus, so I’m packing my concert clothes and my clothes for tomorrow. That’s it right?”_

_“Should be. Just make sure you have money and leave room for anything you get while we’re there. I’m bringing my camera so we should be good for pictures. Oh, just remember a hoodie or something in case it gets cold at night.”_

_“Sounds good!” Felix grins, then shuffles away from his computer to start throwing things into a pile. Hyunjin watches him work, inexorably fond for a moment, before turning to his own packing. They talk intermittently the whole time, and when the conversation lulls, the soft music playing in Felix’s room makes it through the speakers on Hyunjin’s computer. It’s nice, and Hyunjin is buzzing pleasantly by the time the call ends, happy, excited for the days to come._

_The next morning they meet at Felix’s to eat brunch before setting out for the train station. Stomach full of eggs, sugared toast, and strawberries to keep them from buying food on the ride, they make their way through the station until they find the platform number printed on their tickets. Felix collapses on a bench, checking his watch for the time, and Hyunjin bounces on his toes, jittery, energetic._

_“You look funny.”_

_Hyunjin looks down at Felix, still bouncing. “So? No one here really cares. And I want to get it all out before the train comes. Four hours of sitting is a long time even when you’re not ansty.”_

_“Oh, I wasn’t criticizing,” Felix says quickly, reaching up for Hyunjin’s hand and catching it mid-swing. “I like it.” His eyes crinkle, and something shakes inside Hyunjin’s chest. He squeezes Felix’s hand, then drops it and looks away, feeling his cheeks prickle, heating up. The feeling in his chest isn’t quite so ambiguous after that._

_The train comes a lifetime later, though the clock says it’s only been eighteen minutes, and they board together. Finding their row near the back of the car is fairly easy, and once they’ve slid their bags under the seats, they fall into them. Felix pulls his phone out of his pocket, hands Hyunjin one of his earbuds, and leans against him, dropping his head on Hyunjin’s shoulder. “What do you want to watch?”_

_Hyunjin, unable to shrug, makes a small sound at the back of his throat. “Anything but Train to Busan is fine.”_

_Felix shivers a little. “Not gonna be a problem.” He puts on a movie in English that Hyunjin can almost follow without the Korean subtitles and they settle in for the ride. Some time later, well into the movie, Felix dozes off. Hyunjin hears his breathing start to even out, and he eases the phone out of Felix’s hand, holding it on his own lap with a soft smile. They’re still a ways away from the city and Hyunjin’s leg has been asleep for the last half hour, but in the peace of the moment, life feels perfect._

_They’re in the city now, walking shoulder to shoulder, watching the streams of people moving up and down the streets, and staring up at the bright sky and the packed buildings, on the lookout for their hotel to be among them. Hyunjin feels the life of the city thrumming through him, lifting him up, and when he glances at Felix, he can see the same excitement mirrored in his eyes. And then he doesn’t care how long it takes them to find their hotel; any amount of walking is fine if that look stays on Felix’s face while they wander. So wander they do, buying food from a vender on the street and taking pictures with their phones of the sky, of each other, of the sunlight turning pink and orange banners gold, until their destination finally sneaks into view._

_“There it is!” Felix cheers, pointing ahead with one hand and grabbing Hyunjin’s arm with the other. Hyunjin lets himself be dragged forward, across an intersection at a white walk sign, and into the building, laughing._

_They check in and race up the stairs because their room is only three floors up and Felix thinks he’s faster than Hyunjin (he isn’t), then drop their bags on the floor and collapse, out of breath, on the double bed in the middle of the room._

_“I still think I’d beat you in a fair race.” Felix mutters into the white comforter._

_Hyunjin rolls onto his back and laughs again. “I’m sure you do.”_

_Felix flops over to try and glare at him, but he breaks into a grin within the first second, and the effect is lost. He doesn’t seem to care though, because his eyes are still bright and shining as he looks at Hyunjin, and then there’s that shaking in Hyunjin’s chest again, knocking something loose. He pushes himself off the bed quickly, looking away from Felix to pick his bag up from the floor._

_“I’m gonna get ready now. I don’t want to have to rush later.”_

_“Okay,” Felix says, voice quieter than before._

_Hyunjin fights the urge to turn back to Felix, and instead retreats into the bathroom to calm his skipping heart while he changes, brushes through his hair, and dusts his eyes with shadow. He feels normal, at ease again by the time he comes out, and goes to join Felix, who’s sitting on the floor in front of the mirror by the window, patting highlighter against his cheekbones. Hyunjin eyes his light blue jeans, cuffed at the bottom, and tight black v-neck. “You look good.”_

_Felix flushes and runs a hand through his hair, evening it out. “Thanks.” He looks at Hyunjin through the mirror, staring hard at the loosely rolled sleeves of his graffitied white tee and the fraying tears in his gray skinny jeans. “You packed your leather jacket, right?”_

_Hyunjin nods._

_“You should wear it. You look amazing in it.”_

_When they head out the door for the concert, Hyunjin pulls the jacket on without hesitation._

_The atmosphere in the venue is euphoric. No one cares how long they spent standing in line waiting to be admitted; as soon as the lights cut out over the seats and the stage blazes to life, everything else fades away. Hyunjin isn’t sure how long they’ve even been there, but he and Felix are on their feet again after sitting through a slow song to catch their breath, and they’re jumping, cheering, singing along with the rest of the crowd. The blasting speakers call for them to dance, dance, and they do._

_“I feel good, baby I feel great!” Hyunjin yells out at the bright, flashing lights. And he does. With Felix next to him, overflowing with energy and brighter than he’s ever seen him before, even though the spotlights aren’t pointed their direction, Hyunjin feels like he’s flying, like he’s on top of the world. Felix looks up at him, smile so wide it takes up half his face, and Hyunjin swears he can see stars in his eyes. Then he grabs Hyunjin’s hand, twists their fingers together, and throws them above his head, belting along with Hyunjin as loudly as he can. They can barely hear it over the music blasting through the venue, but it doesn’t matter, it doesn’t stop them from having the time of their lives. Hyunjin wants to wrap this moment in silk and ribbons and keep it safe in his heart forever, wants to catch some of the warm, bursting feelings pouring from his chest in a bottle and seal it tight in case he ever forgets what this kind of joy feels like. As long as he’s with Felix like this though, he thinks he’ll always remember._

_Four songs later, or maybe eight (Hyunjin has lost count), the night begins to wrap up, and familiar chords start to play. Slow but sure, the confession song. Hyunjin throws an arm around Felix’s shoulder, tugging him closer, pulling the lyrics together in his head. They duet like they have throughout the whole concert, but when the second chorus hits, Felix turns away from the stage and sings it with shining eyes focused entirely on Hyunjin. Hyunjin turns too, stumbling through the words even though he’d known them perfectly the first time around. Whatever had been knocked loose in his chest in the afternoon teeters dangerously on the edge of a ledge he hadn’t known existed, and when the song ends and Felix smiles at him, soft and sweet but sad for something Hyunjin can’t place, it tumbles from the precipice, knocking against his ribs and leaving him short of breath. The image of Felix’s face stays with him for the rest of the night._

So here he is now, after the encore stage, after the taxi ride to the hotel, after changing back into soft layers of cotton, washing his face, and collapsing, exhausted, into bed, after Felix had fallen asleep easily, after he hadn’t been so lucky; here he is, out of the room once more, pacing down the hotel hallway, trying to figure out what the delicate, vulnerable, persistent feeling blooming in his chest means; trying to figure out how to pacify the newfound openness and longing that have accompanied the blossoming. There’s a simple answer, really, but every time it tries to fight its way to the surface, he pushes it back down. He doesn’t have the strength yet to deal with what letting that thought come to light would mean, so he buries it under the sound of his footsteps on the carpet, wondering how long he’ll have to pace before he’s able to tire out the voices in his head so he can finally sleep.

As it happens, though, he doesn’t ever find out. A quiet click pulls his attention away from the ground and he turns, looking up towards the source of the noise.

“Hyunjin?” Felix asks softly, dazed by sleep but worried all the same. “What are you doing? Why are you out here?”

“I . . .” Hyunjin falters. “I couldn’t sleep. I didn’t want to wake you up.”

Felix frowns at him with tired eyes and reaches out a hand. “I’m awake now. Come back, I’ll stay up with you until you fall asleep.”

Hyunjin’s traitorous feet carry him towards Felix despite his own silent protests, and then they’re in the room again, the door closing behind Felix, blocking out the faint light in the hallway.

“C’mere,” Felix mutters, taking Hyunjin’s hand and pulling him back onto the bed.

Hyunjin wants to protest, to draw away from the arm falling around him, holding him close, but it’s late, and he’s tired beyond belief, and it’s so easy to curl into Felix’s chest that he gives up on trying to fight him. He rests his head right beneath Felix’s, drapes his arm across Felix’s stomach, lets him pull the covers up over them, and sighs softly when Felix runs his hand gently back and forth across his back. For tonight, he decides, it doesn’t matter that he doesn’t know exactly what he’s feeling, or how to deal with it. Right now, he knows that he’s warm and safe with Felix, and with the long day’s exhaustion catching up with him, and the buzzing voices in his head fading out to static, that’s all that matters. So with Felix’ s chest rising and falling against him, his heart beating strong and steady, Hyunjin finally falls asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> uhhhh i wrote this a grip ago and it was supposed to be a one-shot but i got stuck on the second half and decided to post it now in the hopes that it being up will motivate me to finish it.
> 
> lmk what you think tho bc for the most part this was really different from what i usually write and i'm curious 
> 
> n e ways i hope you liked this & i /always/ absolutely love kudos and comments and you for reading <333


	2. part two ~ my my my

Felix squints in the bright sunlight as he walks out of the hotel lobby and into the bustling city, the sunglasses on his face doing little to dim the glare. He brings a hand up over his head to shield his eyes and turns to make a crack about going as blind as Jisung only to find that Hyunjin is no longer by his side, but still in the revolving door, going around another loop. 

“What are you doing?” Felix laughs, waving a hand at Hyunjin, trying to get his attention.

Hyunjin catches Felix’s eye and grins as he spins out of the door. It's one of his earth-shattering smiles that dimples his cheeks and curves his eyes into crescents, that lights up his whole face and makes Felix forget, for a moment, how to breathe. A small pang shoots through Felix's chest at the sight, but it doesn't hurt, not really, and there's nothing he can do to resist a smiling Hyunjin (or any Hyunjin, for that matter), so a grin breaks out across his face too. 

“Sorry,” Hyunjin says, leaving the door behind and coming back up to Felix's side. “I just wanted to do it again.”

Felix shakes his head, still smiling, loops a thumb through the strap of his bag. “I always knew you were just a giant toddler in disguise.”

Hyunjin shrugs and takes Felix's free hand to swing it between them. “The secret's out,” he laughs. 

Maybe it's the bright summer sun, or the life of the city rushing through him again, or just Hyunjin's presence beside him, but Felix can't help but laugh too. It's too good a day to focus on anything but the warmth and joy of the moment. Even something as simple as a revolving door is the most exciting thing in the world when he's with the right person (when he's with Hyunjin).

“So, what do you want to do?” Hyunjin asks when their laughter has subsided.

Felix shrugs, looks around them at the buzzing street and tall buildings, windows glinting in the bright sunlight. He’ll go anywhere, do anything; as long as this feeling stays, it doesn’t really matter where he is. “I’m game to just wander until we find something interesting if you don’t have anything in mind yet.”

“Sounds good,” Hyunjin nods, “All I need is food and I’ll be peachy.”

This sparks a memory in Felix’s brain and he digs out his phone so he can scroll back through his texts with Seungmin. Right under the  _ “I absolutely cannot believe you’re taking HYUNJIN to that concert and not me! love has made you fucking blind”  _ is a much calmer  _ “well as long as ur there u might as well try out this cute place changbin and i found, the french toast was amazing”  _ with a long blue link. Felix pointedly ignores the first text and clicks on the link. When the page loads, he shows it to Hyunjin. “How does this look?”

Hyunjin squints at the page for a moment before nodding. “Great. Where’d you find it?”

“Seungmin suggested it. I think he either really liked it when he went with Changbin or it was awful and he’s trying to get me back for not bringing him with me instead.”

Hyunjin gets this funny look on his face like he’s trying to smile and frown at the same time, and doesn’t say anything for a long moment. “Why  _ didn’t  _ you bring him instead?” He finally asks.

“Because I like you, dummy.” Felix pokes Hyunjin’s cheek. “And Changbin is already planning on surprising him with tickets for one of the later shows. He’ll be perfectly fine with missing this after that.”

“Oh,” Hyunjin says like this solves all his problems, but creates a whole slew of new ones at the same time. 

Felix almost asks what’s wrong - something he’s been avoiding since about three o’clock in the morning - but then Hyunjin is gently pressing the phone back into Felix’s hand and straightening the baseball cap on his head and the open window for talking, really  _ talking _ , closes. Oh well. The side of a busy street isn’t the best place to chat anyway. Felix puts the address into a digital map and then spins in the indicated direction. He points forward and says, “That way,” with the completely unwarranted confidence that comes from looking at a bright blue arrow on a screen despite having absolutely no idea where it will take him. 

“Lead the way, captain,” Hyunjin says, and they fall back into step with each other, a familiar, comfortable pace. 

Halfway to the brunch place (at least that’s what they think it is based on the pictures from the front page) they pass a park, and Hyunjin drags them off course to check it out. Hyunjin takes about three dozen pictures of everything from a particularly pretty patch of flowers to a short stubby tree with “the craziest bark ever” to Felix sitting cross-legged on a bench watching Hyunjin flit around like a hyperactive butterfly. At first he’d tried to keep up, but once Hyunjin had decided it was a good idea to chase a squirrel, Felix had decided it was a good idea to simply observe the chaos from the outside. 

When Hyunjin finally wears himself out he throws his body down onto the bench and drapes his long limbs all over Felix, crushing him. When Felix points this out, Hyunjin just laughs. “I’m crushing you with  _ love,  _ Lix. There are worse ways to go.”

“Maybe so,” Felix laughs a little breathlessly, which he attributes to Hyunjin crushing his lungs and absolutely nothing else, “but I’m too young to die.”

Hyunjin groans, but relents, pulling away just enough for Felix to be able to breathe. They sit in silence for a moment, and again, Felix almost asks about what’s been going on with Hyunjin since the concert the night before. However, as if he can sense it, Hyunjin leaps to his feet before the question can fall from Felix’s lips, and then he’s dragging Felix up with him and they’re on their way again. 

Their destination turns out to be a small, homey spot right on the edge of its building, sandwiched between a record shop and a busy road, and, surrounded by a crowd of at least a dozen other people, Felix and Hyunjin race across the street at a break in the flow of traffic to reach it. A wave of cool air washes over them as they walk through the door, and Felix inches closer to Hyunjin without thinking, missing the warmth of the sun on his skin. When Hyunjin glances down at him with a small, curious smile, Felix keeps his eyes glued to the black board hanging above the counter, focusing on the words scrawled across it in multicolored chalk without really reading them.

“What looks good?” Hyunjin asks after a beat.

Felix draws once again from Seungmin's text and zeros in on the lower right corner of the chalkboard. “I think Seungmin said he really liked the french toast so maybe that?”

“Oh that sounds great. I'd kill for some eggy bread right now,” Hyunjin says, dead serious.

Felix blinks at him, takes in his face, set in stone, his eyes flickering with mirth, then has to turn away to stifle a laugh with his hand. It's not quite at subtle as he means for it to be, and when he turns back Hyunjin is struggling not to break into a grin himself. “Eggy bread it is then,” Felix says with a straight a face as he can manage (not very). “Anything else?”

“Well with the toast and you, I've got sweets covered. Maybe something savory to balance it out?” Again, Hyunjin appears to be deadly serious.

Felix flushes bright red and kicks Hyunjin's shin. “Shut up,” he groans, “just say what you want.”

Hyunjin squints at the blackboard and nods when he makes up his mind. “Hash browns.” 

They fall into line, order, pay, find seats by the window, looking out on cars shining in the city sunlight as they drive by. The food comes surprisingly quickly, and Felix is delighted to discover that the french toast comes with a small pile of bright red strawberries. Before Hyunjin can even pick up his fork, Felix has already snatched two of the cleanly cut fruits and popped one into his mouth, eating it whole. He chews happily while Hyunjin watches him, hand frozen halfway to his fork, eyes filled with amusement and something Felix can’t quite place. With the sweet taste of the berry still on his tongue, Felix makes an appreciative noise and says, “I get why Seungmin liked this so much.” 

“Should I leave you alone with them?” Hyunjin laughs, finally grabbing his fork. 

Felix shoots him a look and pointedly eats the second strawberry without answering. Hyunjin smirks down at his hash browns, satisfied, and then they’re so busy eating they hardly have time to tease each other. 

The berries and potatoes are gone and there are only a few bites left of the french toast left when Felix realizes Hyunjin has that strange look on his face again. He furrows his brows, tries to think of what could possibly have happened in the last few minutes to strike such a change, though he can’t think of anything. He wants to ask what’s wrong, if Hyunjin is okay, but gets the feeling that’s not the best way to go about it right now. Instead, he watches Hyunjin pick at the last chunk of the toast until Hyunjin becomes aware of the eyes tracking his movements. Hyunjin looks up to meet Felix’s gaze, and Felix smiles, small but warm. “Do you want to go?”

Hyunjin glances back at his plate, stuffs the last bit of food into his mouth, nods. They stand, grab their bags, and walk out the door back into warm summer air and blinding sunlight. Felix presses his hand lightly against Hyunjin’s back, right between his shoulder blades, just above the tight knot at the top of his drawstring, hoping to provide some comfort. They continue down the street, watching the city spin around them, until the tension has bled out of Hyunjin’s muscles. 

Bright orange in the window of a shop they pass catches Felix’s eye, and he takes Hyunjin’s hand to tug him into the the store, where they browse over fun colored trinkets and knick-knacks before leaving with matching keychains, both wrapped in small squares of brown paper and stowed safely in their bags. They slip back into the flow of people on the sidewalk and next it’s Hyunjin’s turn to lead them through a door with a bronze bell attached, which jingles when they push it open. Inside and up a small flight of stairs hang rows and rows of clothes in every color of the rainbow, some shades Felix is convinced he’s never seen before. Despite that, Hyunjin makes a beeline for a rack of black and white shirts, as if that’s not already his entire wardrobe. 

“Hyunjin, please,” Felix says as he watches Hyunjin examine two shirts that look exactly the same to him, “I literally can’t see any difference between those and every other white shirt in your closet. Why do you need so many?”

“It’s my  _ branding _ ,” Hyunjin whines, but shakes his head and puts one of them back anyway. “Besides, what else would I get?”

“Anything with color. Absolutely anything.” 

“White is a color,” Hyunjin says, frowning, and Felix has to bite his lip to keep from smiling; the pout won’t work on him today. 

“White is the absence of color,” he insists, “I swear we’ve had this conversation before.”

Hyunjin pouts a little longer, but eventually gives in and wanders away from the neutrals, following Felix to a brighter section of the store. After thumbing through at least three whole racks, Felix picks a bright red zip-up, a little too big for him, thick white stripes up the sleeves. A few minutes later Hyunjin has decided on a light yellow buttoned blouse with a neat collar and little white flowers printed all over, and their purchases are put into small bags (plastic, blue), then stowed away in their bags with the rest of their clothes, to be washed upon their return home. 

When they finally drag themselves out of the vintage shop, there’s not much time left until their train is scheduled to leave. Felix gawks at the hour on his phone. Suddenly their trip to the city feels so incredibly ephemeral, like a pleasant and vivid dream in the middle of the night that will quickly fade to a faint whisper come morning. He doesn’t want to forget this, though; he wants to remember the wonder that had taken hold of him when he’d emerged from the train station and seen the whole city sprawling out in front of him, the way the sun had turned old bricks to gold and glass windows into diamond, the buzz of life all around him; he wants to remember the concert, the blasting music, the sound of their voices when they sang along, not caring if they hit all the right notes, the way Hyunjin had practically glowed in the lowlight, the way his eyes had lit up like they held whole galaxies in them; he wants to remember three o’clock in the morning with Hyunjin wrapped carefully in his arms, breaths finally coming out soft and even as he fell asleep, half past ten when Hyunjin had almost rolled right off the edge of the mattress and they’d both awoken to his startled cry and flailing limbs; he wants to remember it all. 

Felix takes Hyunjin’s hand again, briefly, a lifeline while he commits the last twenty-four hours to memory, painting each moment like a picture in his mind and framing them in shining silver. Hyunjin squeezes tight, and when Felix slips his hand free, wraps an arm across his shoulder. 

“Up for one last stop before we head back?” Hyunjin asks, voice warm as the summer breeze brushing past their cheeks.

Felix nods, relieved, and they continue on.

Somehow, they end up at the river, which sparkles under the sun and sounds beyond peaceful rushing against the banks after the squeal of tires on the main roads. Hyunjin runs up the sidewalk to a hill of grass and throws himself onto the ground, waving Felix over. Felix joins him, smiling, lays down beside him, squinting up. Spread out above them as far as the eye can see, slightly tinted by the lenses of Felix’s sunglasses, the sky looks like a brilliant blue sea, broken only by stark white clouds and the shining sun. 

Felix drags in a deep breath, his chest filling with warm summer air; it’s slightly wet from the humidity and feels like freedom in his lungs. “Let’s keep going on adventures,” he says suddenly.

Hyunjin shifts in the grass to his left. “What kind of adventures?”

“I don’t know,” Felix breathes out, lifting a hand to gesture vaguely at the sky. “But I want to keep doing this even after we go back home. I want to keep exploring, trying out new things, doing whatever I want. I want to keep wandering around and doing crazy stupid stuff with you. I just . . . I’ve had so much fun here with you and I don’t want that to end when we leave.”

Hyunjin is silent for a moment, then he lifts his hand, catches Felix’s mid-wave, laces their fingers together. “Don’t worry about that, Felix,” he says softly, “I love doing crazy stupid stuff, especially when it’s with you. I don’t want this to end either, and I’m not going anywhere; you’re definitely stuck with me.” 

A wide smile works its way onto Felix’s face. He takes immense comfort in Hyunjin’s words, in the reassuring pressure of Hyunjin’s hand wrapped tight around his own, and all the worry bleeds out of his body. They lay there together, listening to the water and the birds and the sound of other people chatting until Felix sits up abruptly, remembering the time.

“We’re gonna be late!” He cries. 

Hyunjin’s eyes go wide. “Oh, shit!”

They almost miss their train. It is only by flat out sprinting all the way from the park to the entrance of the station and then to their platform that they’re able to slip through the sliding doors before they close. 

“That was  _ way _ too close,” Hyunjin sighs, sagging against the wall, trying to catch his breath. 

“Yeah,” Felix nods, then can’t help but laugh. “But we made it.”

Hyunjin looks to Felix’s face, lit up by the adrenaline still coursing through him, and then he’s all smiles too, giddy and full of relief. “We sure did.”

“Wanna go find our seats?”

“Absolutely. I’m so ready to sit down and not have to move for four hours.” Hyunjin says, pushing off the wall and digging out his phone so he can pull up their digital tickets. They locate their seats with surprisingly little difficulty and collapse, exhausted into them.

“Can whatever adventures we go on back home involve just a little less running?” Hyunjin asks when they’re settled in with their bags under their seats.

Felix, still fishing out his phone and headphones, nods vehemently. “They almost have to or my legs might just fall off. We can’t all be star soccer players like Seungmin. I swear I don’t know how Changbin keeps up with him.”

“Maybe he runs his computer with one of those stationary bikes and he’s secretly got jacked quads or something,” Hyunjin suggests as he lifts up a hand for Felix to drop one of the earbuds into. 

Felix connects the pair to his phone and passes the right side to Hyunjin. “Honestly, I’d believe it. He’s done stranger things.”

“You’ve got that right,” Hyunjin laughs, then leans his head against Felix’s shoulder. “Can you play a few songs from your Seventeen vocal playlist? I want to sleep for a bit. I’m exhausted.”

“Yeah, of course.” Felix skims through his music until he finds it, and Hyunjin gets comfortable, curling into Felix’s side like he’s a pillow and not a person. 

“Thanks,” he murmurs, closing his eyes and letting out a soft, contented breath. He’s asleep by the end of the third song.

Felix looks out the window at the passing scenery and is silently, privately glad that Hyunjin is sleeping now after such a late night. He wonders again what had really been keeping him awake after the concert. He’d thought it could’ve been left over excitement, but Hyunjin hadn’t looked like someone still too high on life to sleep when Felix had found him pacing in the hallway. Remembering the downcast twist to his face and the distress in his eyes, Felix thinks something else must have been the cause of his restlessness; he’s just not sure what. Maybe, once they’re safe and sound back home, he’ll ask.

For the next few hours, time passes quickly and slowly all at once. While Hyunjin sleeps on his shoulder, Felix finishes his whole playlist, reads idly on his phone, then watches some American movie Jisung had recommended he download for the trip. By the time the movie ends, a brilliant sunset is visible through the thick glass window, so Felix switches back to music and admires the pinks and reds streaking through the sky. The bright colors fade to purple and gold, then to a deep, inky blue, and the train slips into darkness. Felix watches stars sparkle to life high above him until the interior lights flip back on as the train approaches their stop. 

Gently, Felix shakes Hyunjin awake, and then gathers their things in his lap while Hyunjin blinks groggily. 

“Did I sleep the whole ride?” Hyunjin asks, voice still thick and tired.

“Yeah, you were out like a light.”

Hyunjin makes a face like he’s amazed by himself, then cocks his head to the side. “Is this Taylor Swift?”

Felix’s eyes widen and jump to the earbud he hadn’t thought to take back from Hyunjin while he slept. “You recognize it?” 

“Everyone knows  _ You Belong with Me _ , Felix. Everyone.”

Felix’s cheeks burn, but before he has to think of a way to play it off, he’s saved by the conductor announcing their stop. Hyunjin passes the headphones back to him in exchange for his drawstring bag and then they’re standing up and disembarking, wandering out of the station. After the four hour train ride, the walk back to Hyunjin’s home passes extraordinarily quickly. When they arrive, Hyunjin’s mom welcomes them back, then sends them straight to Hyunjin’s room to sleep because they must be  _ so very tired _ after their trip.

“It was just one day,” Hyunjin mumbles, but lets himself be shooed away without complaint.

While Hyunjin washes up in the bathroom, Felix changes back into the clothes he’d packed for pajamas, then sits on the edge of Hyunjin’s beautifully made bed, thinking. It’s bothering again, now that night has fallen once more, that he doesn’t know what had been troubling Hyunjin enough to drive him out of their hotel room to pace the hallway at ass o’clock in the morning. Usually Hyunjin has no qualms with bringing his troubles to him, and Felix secretly prides himself on being trusted enough to be a confidant, a supportive shoulder to lean on. What could be so bad this time that Hyunjin can’t tell him? If it really is something terrible, why won’t Hyunjin let him try to help? These thoughts follow Felix all the way into the bathroom when Hyunjin opens it up for him, then all the way back to Hyunjin’s bed once his teeth are brushed and his face is washed.

The lights are off in Hyunjin’s room, the door closed to the glow of a lamp down the hall, but a small sliver of silver moonlight shines through a part in Hyunjin’s curtains, illuminating a strip of the sheets over Felix’s legs. He’s on his back staring up at the ceiling, and his body is tired but his mind is still racing. Beside him, Hyunjin is still fidgeting with his blanket every so often. Sleep seems to evade them both. Finally, it becomes too much for Felix to bear.

“Hyunjin?” He whispers before he can lose his nerve.

“Yeah?” Hyunjin answers, just as quiet. 

“Something’s been bothering you, right?” It’s not exactly meant to be a question, but it comes out as one. 

Hyunjin sighs, heavy. 

“What was so bad that you couldn’t sleep last night? What’s pacing-down-a-hotel-hallway-at-three-a.m. bad?” 

“I’ve just been thinking.” Hyunjin says, and Felix doesn’t miss the slight shake in his voice. He turns over onto his side to face Hyunjin, but Hyunjin keeps his eyes trained on the ceiling. 

“What have you been thinking about?”

Hyunjin is silent for so long that Felix almost thinks he won’t answer. Then he rolls over and looks Felix dead in the eye. “You,” he says simply, softly. 

Felix’s heart stutters in his chest and his lungs stop drawing in air halfway through a breath. “What?” He chokes out, voice slightly broken.

Hyunjin searches his face intently for a long, long moment. When he finds no apprehension, no fear, no panic, he lifts a hand and places it gently on the curve of Felix’s neck where it arches into his jaw, thumb resting against his cheek. “That I think I want to kiss you,” he murmurs, barely loud enough to hear, “and I think I have for a while.”

Felix’s heart jumps into his throat and then plummets to the pit of his stomach. Suddenly he’s wide awake, sure Hyunjin can feel his pulse hammering in his neck. 

“Is that crazy stupid enough for you?” Hyunjin asks, voice small and hesitant.

Felix swallows, trying to remember how to breathe. “Maybe crazy,” he whispers, “but I don’t think it’s stupid.”

Hyunjin’s eyes widen the slightest bit, catching moonlight and glowing in the dark. They stay there, faces inches away, until Hyunjin leans forward and presses his lips lightly against Felix’s, a ghost of a kiss, before drawing away again. Felix is convinced he’s dreaming, convinced that if he is, he doesn’t want to wake up.

“Was that okay?” Hyunjin is still watching him closely with wide, shining eyes.

Felix reaches forward to fist his hand in the fabric of Hyunjin’s shirt. He nods, then lightly tugs Hyunjin back into him. This time, when their lips meet, Hyunjin’s move with a practiced skill Felix sorely lacks, though that quickly becomes inconsequential, as Felix’s keenness more than makes up for his inexperience. When they break apart again, it’s because they’re both smiling too much to carry on.

“How’s this for an adventure?” Hyunjin asks, stroking Felix’s cheek with his thumb, utterly fond.

Felix splays his hand out against Hyunjin’s chest until he can just faintly feel his heart beating against his palm. “It’s perfect. No running at all.”

Hyunjin grins even wider, and Felix gets the sudden feeling he’s about to say something incredibly stupid and cute. “But you’ve been running around my head all day.” Yup, there it is.

“You’re lucky I like you so much.” He tries to pretend it isn’t funny, but his voice, light with quiet laughter, gives him away. 

“Yeah, I am,” Hyunjin says softly. “I like you so much too.”

“Perfect,” Felix murmurs again, leaning back in for another kiss, melting against Hyunjin. 

_ Yes,  _ he thinks, sighing as Hyunjin’s teeth graze his lower lip and he realizes he’s in for another late night,  _ this new adventure is absolutely perfect.  _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so after a whole ass three months i finally finished this woot woot i hope you enjoyed :D


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